light

Why did this LED lightbulb catch our eye? Three simple reasons: 1) We like LED stuff; 2) we like weird remotes even more, and 3) Caroline McCarthy demands that we post anything that might vaguely qualify as "color-changey."

Naturally, this multi-color LED lightbulb with remote was a no-brainer. The bulb, which we saw on the Gadgets Weblog, has 16 colors that can be adjusted at various brightness intensities and includes "transitions effects" such as longer times on particular colors and slow fades in between. Perfect to create the right mood, per orders from the The Ladies Man.… Read more

Most of the year, shoppers seeking to be ecologically correct worry about the age-old paper versus plastic bag dilemma (The answer? Bring your own bag.). Around this time of year, those who celebrate Christmas worry whether they should get an artificial or real tree.

Fake firs from the middle of the 20th century that once looked high-tech have made a retro comeback. Dressing up an old one can be relatively eco-friendly, whether it sports flocked snow, aluminum branches, or ceramic gumdrops. The Doris Day aesthetics might irk some neighbors, but at least you'd do the planet a favor by … Read more

If the Lucas empire and its legion of trademark attorneys get all hissy about this latest Wii attachment, they have only themselves to blame for not making it first. The "Wii Light Sword" is coming out in time for the long-awaited Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

Although the game isn't expected until the spring, U.K.-based Play.com has jumped the gun--or the sword, as it were--and will unsheathe its luminescent weapon for shipment soon at about $31, according to Coolest-Gadgets. This saber-like remote accessory gets its intergalactic glow from 22 LEDs but can be dimmed … Read more

The old saying is that photography is painting with light. Controlling the amount of light in your pictures is essential, especially indoors. That's where the Portaflash Digital Studio Kit from Jessops comes in.

It's a studio in a bag, designed to make high-quality images accessible to anyone with a camera, a little space, and 300 pounds to spare (about $618).

The kit comes with two lighting stands, two silver/white reversible 32-inch brollies and Series 3 tilt brolly brackets. Digital slave triggers and synchronization leads allow you to link the lights to your camera's flash. Power cables … Read more

After encountering what seems to be an inordinate number of high-end flashlights on Crave, we're beginning to suspect there's a secret society devoted to worshipping instruments of luminescence. And when you make one that resembles an antique gun--one of the most collectible items on late-night TV shopping networks the world over--then surely all bets are off.

Lumencraft's "GatLight V3" fits that description to a tee. It's a titanium flashlight with a built-in lithium battery that, as its name suggests, bears a design that resembles the Civil War-era Gatling machine gun.

But more than just … Read more

There are a lot of things that have racked up frequent flier miles on Crave. Oddly shaped USB drives, awe-inducing Guitar Hero videos, and Swarovsky-covered crap are all par for the course on the average day.

As far as I know, though, this is the first pop-up book we've seen that is also a fully operational lamp. And that's worth blogging about.

When opened, the Book of Lights creates an LED-powered pop-up lamp.

Available in traditional lampshade and Parisian streetlamp versions, it's available for preorder for $95 on Charles & Marie.

The big, linen-bound book is available … Read more

As we were just saying, bike technology is doing its best to catch up with car equipment, especially where LED devices are concerned. "Bicygnals" are no exception, and they provide important safety features to boot.

No ordinary turn indicators, these ultrabright front and back LED units are connected wirelessly by radio waves so they'll blink simultaneously as needed, according to Shiny Shiny. The absence of wires comes in handy for another reason: It's easier to pull them off the bike to take with you.

We applaud the effort, but we'd still like to see a … Read more

Upon first viewing, this looked either like a Photoshop job or evidence that our monitor was in desperate need of serious adjustment. But rather than some iPod laboratory experiment gone horribly awry, the "Dr. Light Alarm Clock" is merely what its name indicates.

The distracting design is actually unfortunate because the clock has some interesting features in its own right--namely, according to Gizmodo, several rows of LEDs that light up to reflect the time of day. That, at least, is certainly more useful than other LED products we've seen lately.